


puppy love (or werewolf mates)

by holygolightly



Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Age Regression/De-Aging, Alpha Derek, BAMF Derek, BAMF Sheriff Stilinski, BAMF Stiles, Full Shift Werewolves, Protective Derek, Sheriff Stilinski is a Good Parent, Spark Stiles Stilinski, Supportive Sheriff Stilinski, Tattooed Stiles Stilinski, True Mates, Wolf Derek, also the hale pack is alive, and i couldnt bring myself to kill them, because i couldnt figure out how to work them into this story, later on lmao, the rest of the pack is mentioned but we're just gonna ignore them, theyre also not really in this but theyre mentioned
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-26
Updated: 2017-12-26
Packaged: 2019-02-16 23:59:29
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,576
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13064895
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/holygolightly/pseuds/holygolightly
Summary: Stiles likes to think he had done a pretty decent job at keeping the whole "true mates with Derek fucking Hale" thing a secret.He just, y'know, hadn't predicted that he'd get turned into an overprotective 7-year old while aiding the alpha in a fight against a dark mage.And honestly? He really should've learned to plan better by now.





	puppy love (or werewolf mates)

**Author's Note:**

> this is my sterek secret santa gift for potrix-the-queerschlaeger on tumblr. there's a lot more i wish i could've done with this story but didn't get the chance to, but i hope you enjoy it anyway. happy holidays!

Stiles likes to think he had done a pretty decent job at keeping the whole "true mates with Derek fucking Hale" thing a secret.

He just, y'know, hadn't predicted that he'd get turned into an overprotective 7-year old while aiding the alpha in a fight against a dark mage.

And honestly? He really should've learned to plan better by now.

* * *

Stiles was practicing some of the spells in the book he "borrowed" from Deaton when he felt someone enter his wards placed around the shop. He closed his book and clenched his fist, effectively erasing any traces of his magic as he stepped out from behind the old wooden counter. The bell above the front entrance jingled as the person in question entered the small shop.

"Stiles?" A deep, oh so familiar voice called out from the other side of a display of dusty snow globes.  
  
Stiles stepped back, cursing under his breath. Of course. _Of fucking course_ Derek Hale would be coming in his shop right now. Derek hale, the man Stiles has made it his personal mission to avoid any personal encounters with for the past 4 years.  
  
The man Stiles was "destined" to be with.  
  
"Stiles, I know you're in here. That, or your shop was struck by lightening in the middle of this drought."  
  
Stiles finally stepped around the display, facing the older man. "My magic smells like lightening?"  
  
"And skittles." Derek answered, voice resigned and eyebrows pulled down in a vaguely disapproving fashion.  
  
"Uh, actually that may just be me. You see, they had these six pound bags on sale and I couldn't turn that down but then I got to thinking that-"  
  
"Stiles." Derek interrupted, rolling his eyes and already looking like he regretted stepping into store in the first place.  
  
"Right, sorry. What brings your Alpha-ness my way? Laura already break the skull I sent her?"  
  
"I don't know why you keep sending her shit. You know she's going to break it within two days. It's a waste of money."  
  
"Yeah, but she makes up the most hilarious excuses for why it broke. I don't know why she doesn't just admit she has no grace but it's worth a couple bucks every month to hear her stories."  
  
"she knows that Peter would never let her live it down if she admitted it. He tortures her enough."  
  
"Wasn't marrying Chris supposed to mellow him? He's just as creepy as ever."  
  
"Try as he might, I don't think anyone could un-creep uncle Peter" Derek said, face as stoic as when he came in but there was a barely noticeable quirk to the corner of his mouth.  
  
Stiles let out a very, very ugly snort at that and then quickly flushed a deep red. Why can't he ever just go two goddamn minutes in Derek's presence without embarrassing himself?  
  
"But, I'm not actually here to talk about my family. I'm actually here for you"  
  
Stiles could feel his heart start to race and hoped that the glamour on the shop was enough to keep Derek's werewolf senses from picking it up. Based on the confused and dare he say, concerned, look he was getting from the alpha, though, made him think it probably wasn't working.  
  
He doesn't even know why he's getting worked up over this. He knows Derek doesn't mean it like that. That Derek will never mean it like that. But Stiles is nothing if not a hopeless romantic.  
  
"Me? What do you need me for?" Stiles asked, hoping his tone was casual but knowing it wasn't.  
  
"Well, not you so much as your magic" Derek clarified.  
  
"Right, of course" stiles said, ignoring the churning disappointment in his gut. Seriously, what the fuck was wrong with him?

 "You okay?" Derek asked, looking like it physically pained him to choke out the question.

"What? Yeah, no, of course, just wondering how my magic could possibly be of use to you. What about Deaton?"

"You and I both know Deaton isn't really a practitioner, he's more of a reference guide at best. But to answer your actual question, I received notice from a neighboring pack about a magical artifact stolen from their emissary. They have reason to believe a dark mage they had previously had run-ins with stole it. The mage was heading towards Beacon Hills last they checked so they asked if my pack could look into it. It's been...difficult to find allies that want to make deals with just me. They're all still focused on trying to make deals with Talia even though she left California years ago. This would be an opportune time to earn some respect and favors."

Stiles couldn't help but feel slightly guilty about that. He had connections with many emissary's in the surrounding area and could help Derek build relations but he would have to officially affiliate himself with Derek's pack and he doubts either of them could handle that. And honestly it's bullshit that anyone is giving Derek a hard time in the first place. Being a true alpha is rare as fuck, okay? Derek earned that shit saving Cora.

While Stiles understands why Derek isn't exactly eager to share the story of the batshit crazy hunter who tried to manipulate him into having sex with her before shooting his sister with wolfsbane in some weird revenge plot, Stiles also wishes everyone else could understand how much Derek has been through and how hard he's worked to get to where he is. 

"Did you let my dad know about some magical fugitive who will suddenly be running around in his jurisdiction?"

Stiles watched as Derek's cheeks pinked slightly, as he quickly broke eye contact.

"Holy shit," Stiles laughed, "are you scared of my dad?"

"No!" Derek denied, though the blush staining his face had spread all the way to the tips of his ears. 

"Riiiiiiiiiiighttttttttt" Stiles drawled out.

"Look, are you going to help me or not?"

"Yes, jeez, of course I will, sourwolf. Just email me the details of the case tonight and I'll text you tomorrow about when and where we should meet up."

Derek gave a curt nod, wrinkling his nose one more time at the scent of magic lingering in the shop before leaving without a word.

"Nice of you to stop by!" Stiles shouted sarcastically at his retreating form.

"What the hell did I get myself into, Rodi?" Stiles asked, turning towards his large Venus flytrap that he may or may not have spelled on a few occasions.

"Sure, I'll help you," Stiles went on, mocking myself, "it's not like I've been practically avoiding you for almost half a decade. It's not like I accidentally touched cupid's arrow during an assignment and found out we were true mates exactly two days after you told me true mates were archaic bullshit. That would just be ridiculous," Stiles continued, before noticing that Aphrodite had turned herself in the opposite direction sometime during his meltdown.

"Great, now even my goddamn plants are judging me."

* * *

Stiles didn't even bother to look up from his laptop when a dull knock sounded through the house.

"It's open, come in!"

Derek's light, even not hesitant, steps led him towards the living room.

"Why are we meeting at your dads house?"

"I like to bounce ideas off of him, plus my apartment is above the shop so the smell of magic would probably be overwhelming to your delicate werewolf senses." Stiles replied, finally looking up and trying not to laugh at Derek's offended expression at the term "delicate."

"I wasn't expecting to hear back from you so soon. Shouldn't you be at the shop right now?"

"Benefits of being your own boss."

"Who's actually working today then?"

"Nobody. Normally I have Liam, a werewolf from Satomi's pack, or his friend Mason working but they normally take off during the school year. Scott will fill in on occasion but he's away on some vet retreat or something, I don't know. I don't ask questions. There's not much to worry about. We don't get a lot of random walk ins and my plants can take care of themselves."

Stiles noticed Derek's uncomfortable shuffling and how he was avoiding eye contact, likely at the mention of Scott. The beta had never truly warmed up to Derek, though in all honesty Scott is still warming up to the fact that he's a werewolf at all. Their relationship had never exactly been warm and fuzzy in the first place, and Derek turning Scott to save his life surely didn't help anything.

"What about you, where's your gang of misfits?" Stiles asked, hoping to quickly change the subject.

"In school, not everyone skipped a year like you and Lydia. Their semester isn't up for another two-wait."

'Uh? I'm waiting."

"If you're here, and there's nobody working, how are you getting any money at the shop?"

"To be honest, I make essentially no profits at the shop. It's more so of a way to store any magical items I find. Plus the money I make from assignment, like this, needs a legitimate source for my tax forms."

"Your tax forms? How did you even get started on that?"

"My dad helped me."

"Your dad? The sheriff helped you set up a money laundering scheme?"

"Is that a problem?" The sheriff asked, coming out of the kitchen.

"Uh. No. No of course not." Derek answered, straightening up slightly.

Stiles doesn't quite understand why Derek didn't hear him coming but he certainly does enjoy the fearful expression on Derek's face. Unfortunately, Stiles also knows they'll get no where fast with the weird stare down happening in the middle of the room.  
  
"So, this thing stolen from their emissary. I was reading the files you sent me and it seems like this Mage is looking for youth."  
  
"Youth? Like the fountain?"  
  
"Kind of. It's hard to explain but...okay so the myth surrounding the fountain is that you drink from it, it restores your "youth". It's an ambiguous phrase to say the least. Does it make you younger? How much younger? Does it just make you live longer? Who knows, right? But this 'artifact' of sorts is different. It's more like...the Pirates of the Caribbean version of the fountain, where one person gives life and the only gets it. Only it's different from that to. Like..shit okay. So I'm 21, right? So let's say I decide I really want to be 25 so I can legally rent a car, I'm crazy desperate. And you, you're 28. And let's say you're feeling insecure about your age and yadda yadda-"

"Hey!"

"-it's just a hypothetical, relax. So I touch the artifact, and it takes four years from me because I will it to do so. Now there's four years of life stored in this thing. And then you come around and you want some more time. So you grab it and will it to give you those four years, and now you're 24. But let's say you only want to be six months younger, for whatever reason. You can will it to give you six months and then you leave the rest of the time. It's sort of like spark magic, it has to be done through will. So if someone tries to take years from a living person who's unwilling, it doesn't work."  
  
"What if they kill them?"  
  
"That's when things get tricky. Years taken forcefully, in death, are only temporary. They can still be stored like the other ones but they will only age you down for a short period of time before your true age is restored. So it's now really a practical solution. But in all honesty, it's not really a practical weapon or tool. Strong, sure. But just because you take a year off your life, doesn't mean anything. Your documents still show your true age, and the people around you wont realize a different. It doesn't alter reality. Same with being aged down. You may look younger but everyone will still think you're almost thirty."  
  
"So what does the Mage wants with it?"  
  
"Now that's a good question. My guess? Her power is depleting. I mean, she's not that old but magic takes a lot out of you. She probably has a strong and likely dark spell she's looking to cast but needs the energy to do it. According to some of the files, it's suspected that there may be some years left on it. However, it was from somebody who had been killed like two decades ago so they won't last long. Which does work in our favor since she'll have to wait until at least a few days before she intends to cast her spell before she can use it."  
  
"Why do you think she hasn't already?"  
  
"Most spells, especially dark ones, require certain things from nature, things you can't force. The new moon is in a week and a half, so I'm guessing she's probably waiting on that."  
  
"Guessing?"  
  
"Yes, I agree, not the best thing. But it's the best I've got right now. I'm going to call Lydia and see if she has any suggestions for how to go about this." Stiles said, pulling up Lydia's contact on his phone.  
  
"What, stiles? I have an interview in four hours and I'm trying to get done."  
  
"Hello, my beautiful turtle dove. Did you get the files I sent you last night?" Stiles asked, ignoring the strange look on Derek's face as the alpha walked into the kitchen.  
  
"About the Mage? Yes? Why? Seems simple enough to me. She's waiting for the new moon, correct?"  
  
"Yeah, that's what I figured. I just don't know what my next course of action should be."  
  
"Stiles, you're smarter than this."  
  
"Uhm...the nemeton?"  
  
"Yeah, no shit. Don't let Derek's pretty face distract you. Of course it's the nemeton. And next time you have a dumb question, consult peter. I'm busy." Lydia ordered, before the call was ended.  
  
Stiles tried to hide his blush at the "pretty face" comment, hoping Derek had decided not to eavesdrop for once. He stood up, shuffling some files to avoid eye contact.  
  
"Alright, McGruff. You up to a tree-stump trip?"

                                                           --------------- --------------- ---------------  ---------------  ---------------   
  
The ride to the tree had been awkward, mostly filled with stiles giving random facts about whatever came to mind suddenly and Derek looking like he'd rather be anywhere else. Luckily, the tension died once they actually arrived. Stiles didn't feel the need to ramble on about nothing anymore, not when his magic was connecting with everything around them.  
  
Stiles reached down to take off his socks and shoes, it was awkward and hurt his feet more often than not but it was one of the only ways for his magic to get down to the roots. Plus, it wasn't nearly as awkward as Derek Hale trying to strip in the back of his camaro so he could do a full shift. Apparently it heightened his senses and therefore made it easier to guard Stiles while he was distracted, but Stiles figured the real reason was because Derek got some weird, twisted satisfaction out of ruining Stiles' life.  
  
However, stiles made the valiant effort to put Derek (naked, toned Derek) completely out of his mind as he settled onto the trunk, legs crossed and eyes closed.  
  
Stiles' magic was...strange. First off, sparks were incredibly rare. Similarly to true alphas, which in all likely hood is probably why Derek and Stiles were matched to begin with.  
  
Most magic users were mage's or warlocks and most of them had fae bloodlines. Sparks don't. Their power is born with them. The source is just themselves. But connecting to the earth, through forces like nemeton, can amplify that power tenfold.  
  
Stiles uses the power of the tree to feel out the energies surrounding beacon hills. While there's no "hot spots," meaning the mage definitely hasn't performed the ritual yet, there is an area of darkness a few miles passed the city lines.  
  
Stiles is pulled out of his musings by a low growl. He looks up to see Derek has shifted to his beta form instead. Stiles is very careful to only look straight ahead at Derek's face, to avoid letting his eyes wander below the belly button.  
  
"What?"

"You're glowing." Derek answers, a rumble still audible from his chest.  
  
"What? Oh yeah. I know?"  
  
"Why."  
  
"Yknow, question marks are your friend, buddy."  
  
The comment only seems to raise his hackles more, as his top lip pulls back in a snarl.  
  
"Alright alright. Jesus christ, dude. Relax a little. It's just my tattoos."  
  
"Your tat-...since when do you have tattoos? You hate needles."  
  
"Luckily these were applied needle-free. They're magical tattoos in a sense. Lydia helped me apply them. Just some spelled ink applied by hand and yknow...willed into permanence."  
  
Derek's face has gone blank at the mention of Lydia and the older man turned away slightly.  
  
"Did you find anything?"  
  
Stiles rolled his eyes at the weirdness of Derek changing the subject on a topic he himself brought up.  
  
"Oh yeah, I did. I know where she is."

* * *

 The sheriff, stiles, Chris argent, Peter, and Derek are the ones who raid the mage's hideout. It's too dangerous to bring in anyone that's not aware of the supernatural, and everyone else is too far away to call in right now.

 They should've just waited.

 The raid starts off slow. Peter and Chris take the left, the sheriff and Derek come in on the right, and stiles forgoes subtly all together. Instead, they all figured it'd be best if stiles approaches as if he's looking to talk one magic user to another.

 

 

 As they approach, stiles carefully removes the mage's wards so the wolves can get in without an issue. Stiles tries not to let his mind focus on his fears for the mission. He's a little nervous that Peter and Chris will manage to distract each other too much during it. The two are surprisingly (and weirdly) affectionate at times. That being said, stiles sure as shit doesn't trust Peter with his dad. As helpful as Peter has been in the past, he's still manipulative and cunning. Stiles makes sure to never underestimate him.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Stiles is pulled from his thoughts by a loud bang deeper in the warehouse. Something must've alerted the Mage to their presence because Derek suddenly jumps out in his full shift. He tackles Peter, who's shifted to his beta form in front of Chris to dodge an oncoming blast.

Gunfire comes from Stiles' right side as the Sheriff pulls the woman's attention away from the wolves. The bullets are easily deflected off the barrier she's created but it does keep her distracted so stiles to get close enough. He notices she's holding the artifact but doesn't take the time to dwell on it.  . He pulls the barrier down but she spins quickly and sends a strong blast towards the alpha nearing her side. Stiles doesn't stop to think as he dives in front.

And then it all goes black.

* * *

Derek gets lost in chaos. Though they're far from the city life, it seems that every noise is amplified in the small space. The scent of magic burns his nose and makes his eyes water. Derek tries not to let the overstimulation distract him as he tackles his uncle.

Though his relationship with Peter is weird, he knows he needs him. They're not close but they're family and to Derek that means everything.

Derek quickly jumps back onto all fours, prowling closer to the Mage as the sheriff pulls her attention. Once Stiles pulls down her barrier, he knows he can get in for the kill. Unfortunately, she must've sensed him because the second stiles makes his move, she makes her.

Derek doesn't have time to move before a ball of light shoots towards him. The last thing he sees is stiles jump in front before the world explodes.

The light encompasses stiles where he collapsed and Derek dives over his prone form towards the Mage but it's too late. Whatever magic stiles had used to keep her from escaping must've dropped as soon as he did. Derek shifts back to his two-legged form and turns back to stiles.

And then stops. Because stiles is there. But he's...

"Tiny. It's uh. Tiny stiles. She shrank him?" The alpha asks, confused as he slowly walks over to the small form.

"Daddy?" A young voice asks, looking towards the sheriff.

Oh fuck.  
                   ---------------------  ---------------------  ---------------------  ---------------------  ---------------------  
Derek sits in the waiting room of the vets office trying not to focus on what a cluster fuck the situation has been. The ride to Deaton's was tense. There was no car seat in the cruiser so Derek held stiles in his lap as the young spark babbled on about every single thing he saw through the window.

"Come in" Deaton says, nodding his head towards his office as he walks his last customer out.

Derek follows the sheriff, who had taken Stiles from him as soon as they got inside into the room. Peter and Chris decided to stay at the warehouse and collect evidence and for once Derek wishes for their presence. It's bad enough hanging around stiles with his dad on a regular day, doing it when stiles is basically a toddler isn't helping.

Derek knows his needs to get over his..crush, eventually but joining stiles on this assignment didn't help. Yes, it's his fault since he did ask the spark for his assistance but watching him show off his true power and then flirt with Lydia wasn't exactly what Derek had in mind when he approached Stiles' shop.

However, his inconvenient crush on the spark is the least of his worries right now.

"Bad news or the slightly better news?"

"Bad news." Derek says, wanting to get it over with already.

"There's nothing I can do about the spell. I can't undo it."

"So what's the better news?" The sheriff asked, visibly annoyed.

"It'll wear off in about a day or two. He was unwilling when he was hit with it and the individual had been unwilling when the years were taken."

"So we just...babysit him? For two days? While a dark mage runs around with an artifact stolen from another pack? Preparing to partake in some kind of dark ritual? And we've been deprived of our only magical support?" Derek asks, incredulous.

"Well, there's a reason I didn't say it was good news.

* * *

Babysitting isn't too hard. Stiles seems to be around 7 years old and is oddly independent. They mostly just have to cook him meals and remind him when to go to sleep. Luckily he doesn't mention Claudia much after the Sheriff told him she was away. It was strange seeing stiles not using his magic, skin completely devoid of any tattoos but it certainly wasn't the freakiest part of the entire situation.  
  
He is rather clingy with Derek but the alpha isn't too surprised. Peter kept joking about it being 'puppy love' but Derek knew that wasn't the case. He and the spark had been close when they were younger as Talia and Claudia had been friends. In fact, it wasn't until a few years ago that stiles had starting avoiding Derek all together. He's not sure what he did wrong but he also has no idea how to fix it. He had helped stiles adjust to his powers, helped Stiles after his mom died, and helped stiles when Scott struggled with his shift. However, Derek also didn't want to force Stiles to hangout with him if he didn't want to.  
  
This is why the biggest issue that comes up is both expected and entirely unexpected.  
  
Derek didn't think little!stiles would be thrilled with him talking to Lydia so often due to his possessiveness but he sure as shit hadn't been expected the reason to be because they were fucking mates.  
  
Derek had just gotten off the phone with the banshee when he noticed stiles standing off to the side. Peter had been trying to whisper something to the boy but he seemed tense, with his face red and arms crossed.  
  
"Stiles, what's wrong?" Derek asked, moving to kneel in front of him.  
  
"Go away, I hate you!" He yelled out.  
  
"Woah woah. What did I do?" Derek asks, confused and a little offended.  
  
"Go talk to stupid Lydia! You'd rather be with her anyway!"  
  
"I was calling her for advice. She's very smart."  
  
"So am I!"  
  
"I know you are buddy, but I needed grown up help."  
  
Rather than helping the situation though, that just seems to make things worse.  
  
"I knew you'd pick her! I hate you!!"  
  
"I didn't pick anyone. Why is this upsetting you so much?"  
  
"You're supposed to be with me. You're my mate! Not hers."  
  
"What?"  
  
"Stiles, why don't you come with me?" Peter asks, trying to move the younger boy.  
  
"Wait. No. What?" Derek asks again, as his heart pounds.  
  
"Oh come on, Derek. You're not this dense."  
  
"I think I am because what the fuck. Why would he say that?"  
  
"You know why."  
  
"No way. No fucking way. He would've told me."  
  
"Really? After your infamous "I hate mates" thanksgiving day rant?"  
  
"...I was going through a rough time. He knows that."  
  
"Yeah? Did you ever tell him you didn't mean it? Did you ever explain it to him?"  
  
"How does he even know we're mates?"  
  
"He's a spark. He can sense energies and you two are connected. Now get it together. You're upsetting him."  
  
"Are you mad at me?" Stiles asks, tears in his eyes.  
  
"I need some air" Derek says, practically running out of the house.

* * *

  
Derek shifts back, coming home from a small hunt. He still feels shaky and uncertain but he feels more willing to face his issues head on now.  
  
As he dresses again and goes through his phone, he finds a couple of messages on his phone from Peter.  
  
_"Running out? Bit childish, don't you think?"_  
_"I'll be expecting you back soon. I'm not cooking dinner so you better be at the sheriffs by 6:30."_  
_"He's a robot of sadness. This is your fault."_  
  
Derek had no idea what the last text meant but he hurried back to the house anyway. And honestly, Peter wasn't exactly wrong with his "robot of sadness" description.  
  
Stiles is sitting in the middle of the living room. He has a cardboard box around his torso with the top and bottom flaps opened to allow him to fit through.  
  
"Stiles? You okay buddy?"  
  
"Beeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeep"  
  
"Stiles."  
  
"Beeeeeeeep booooooppp."  
  
Derek tries to look around for any kind of back up but Peter just gives him a look that screams "I told you so" before ushering Chris out of the room to "give them some privacy."  
  
"I'm sorry. I'm not mad."  
  
"Beep. Boop." Stiles replies, but far quieter than he had been.  
  
"I'm happy that we're mates."  
  
"...are you really?" Stiles ask, hesitantly.  
  
"Yes, of course. I was just surprised when I found out. That's all."  
  
"Okay...I'm still mad though."  
  
"How can I make it up to you?"  
  
"Ummmm...you be the robot."  
  
"Uh. What?"  
  
"Put the robot parts on."  
  
"I don't know, buddy."  
  
"BEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE-"  
  
"Okay! Okay! I'll try. I just don't think I can fit."  
  
And really he should've known better than to present a possible challenge to stiles because less than 30 seconds later, Derek was trapped in a cardboard box. He could tell that if he was there for much longer he would lose feeling in his arms.  
  
With their luck, this is of course the moment that it all goes to shit.  
  
Derek has no warning before his ears pop slightly and the air seemed to shift in the same way it does when Stiles messes with the wards.  
  
"Wha-" was all Derek got out before the Windows seemed to blow inward and Peter leapt out of the kitchen fully shifted.  
  
By the time Derek managed to rip through the box, the Mage had appeared in the center of the living room. The sheriff, who must've come home from work while Derek was on his hunt, leaps over the stair railing while firing. Derek used this moment of distraction to grab stiles and head towards the basement. Stiles had turned the room into a panic zone in one of his moments of paranoia. He knew the young boy would be safe there. As much as Derek hated the idea of leaving him alone, he also knew that stiles would never forgive him if something happened to the sheriff.  
  
In all honesty though, Derek didn't prove much help. It was hard to fight a mage with no magical support. She easily distorted their situation, they couldn't hear what was happening and their vision was clouded.  
  
Derek was ready to count their losses as he planned a hasty retreat but before he could follow through, he was hit hard on the side. He didn't see it coming at all. He looked up, seeing the Mage preparing another blow as he scrambled back to his feet. In the end, though, it didn't matter. Before she could make her move, she was completely encased in huge white blast.  
  
Derek turned towards the source and there he was. Tattoos lit up beneath his shirt and sparks shooting from his fingertips, once again fully grown.  
  
_Stiles._

* * *

Stiles comes back to himself in the panic room. He's confused and lost but knows he doesn't have time to dwell on it, hearing the sounds of a struggle coming from upstairs.  
  
Making his way out of the basement, he sees Derek cornered by the Mage. He doesn't have time to think before he gathers his magic in his hands and launches his attack. She's collapses in place but stiles doesn't stop to watch. Instead, he drops to his knees next to Derek and starts to heal him.  
  
"So, uh..." Derek groans out, "what's this I hear about mates?"  
  
And suddenly stiles wishes he hadn't come back just yet.  
                                          
"Well, who knew the way to get Stiles to shut up would be to bring up something almost all of us knew about already?" The sheriff calls from across the room.  
  
The memories of his regression start to come back from Stiles slowly.  
  
"Fuck...did she turn me into a robot?"  
  
"Not quite" Derek laughs, "let's just head to the panic room to talk."  
  
"I guess we'll just clean up everything on our own." Chris says, rolling his eyes as Derek leads Stiles towards the basement.  
  
"This isn't exactly the most romantic of places to have this conversation," Stiles quips.  
  
"Well, this isn't exactly the most romantic of situations."  
  
"And we're not really the most romantic of people," stiles concedes.  
  
"Why didn't you tell?" Derek asks, bringing them back to the original subject.  
  
"You made such a big deal about mates. Why would I want to?"  
  
"In all fairness, Kate has just tried to ruin my life. I almost lost my sister. And then I became an alpha with no training or warning. AND THEN people started trying to suggest the possibility of a mate. I was overwhelmed, annoyed, and desperately trying to keep myself from getting my hopes up. It wasn't really an ideal situation."  
  
"None of the situation was ideal. I wasn't exactly having a ball trying to learn about sending energies and shit on my own after my mom died. And then I'm finally able to master it and find out I'm destined to be with someone who hates the entire concept of mates? It sucked. True mates are so rare, to find out I actually had one out their was amazing. And then almost immediately awful."  
  
"I never meant to do that to you. I'm so sorry."  
  
"I'm sorry for not telling you."  
  
"I mean. Are you ready to give this a try? I mean, I already told Laura about my...feelings for you. And I'm sure she's already taken bets from people on when we'll make it official."  
  
"You told Laura?" Stiles asks, amused.  
  
"Well, apparently you told Peter and the sheriff" Derek points out.  
  
Stiles blushes, "okay I didn't tell Peter. He just..found out. Or more accurately found me talking to myself about it one day. I'm not super great at handling strong emotions. Never really have been."  
  
"I mean. Don't be too embarrassed about it. It's not the most ridiculous thing you've done." Derek says, mischief in his eyes.  
  
Stiles stares at him, confused. Not entirely sure of the point he's trying to make.  
  
"I mean. It's not like you saved me from a dark Mage, regressed to a child, and then turned into a robot of sadness because you were afraid of rejection or something," Derek clarified with a laugh.  
  
Stiles' eyes widened as the rest of the memories from the past day and a half hit him. He could hear laughter from the men upstairs who obviously heard Derek's statement. The tips of his ears start to burn.  
  
"Okay, fuck you. Fuck all of you. You can figure out where she hid that artifact on your own now. Mates cancelled" stiles declared, storming up the stairs and trying to fight the smile threatening to break through at the sounds of Derek's laughter.  
  
Maybe the whole "turning into a possessive 7 year old" wasn't the worst thing that could've happened to him.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

**Author's Note:**

> any comments, questions, concerns, or prompts can be sent to my tumblr, daddy--oreo. this is my first sterek fic in over a year so keep that in mind pls lmao.


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